Let Me Be Your Heroine
by Serena Thorn
Summary: Prompt: Rumpelstiltskin becomes stuck in a trap left for the wolf and bound by magic. Red Riding Hood finds him, almost frozen to death. She brings him home and tends to him and in return he rewards her with anything she desires.
1. Snow Blind

Title: Let Me Be Your Heroine  
>Summary: Rumpelstiltskin becomes stuck in a trap left for the wolf and bound by magic. Red Riding Hood finds him, almost frozen to death. She brings him home and tends to him and in return he rewards her with anything she desires. She chooses to know what a being like him would be like as hers.<br>Rating: R  
>Spoilers: 1x15<br>Word Count:4,646  
>PairingCharacters: Red/Rumpelstiltskin, Blue Fairy, mentions Granny and others  
>Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time is not owned by me, but by ABC. I'm simply borrowing these characters for non-profit entertainment.<br>A/N: One of my fills for the OUAT kink meme on LJ. And the woodsman is an OC. 

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><p>Chapter 1, Snow Blind:<p>

With Granny being cared for by her parents at their cottage on the other side of the forest, even despite the old woman's many claims that she didn't need it, Red Riding Hood had begun to adapt quite well to her newfound responsibilities and even to somewhat living on her own. True her granny could be back any day, to hear the old woman tell it, but it was beginning to make her feel even more self-sufficient than she normally did. This had also allowed her to feel she had a bit more free time than she might have ordinarily since they had sent her to grandmother's cottage alone.

"You will be protected there," her mother insisted.

"And you can protect everyone better there in knowing Granny is being cared for here," her father had added.

Red had agreed in part because she knew she had to, but also because she knew it was their bid to keep her granny from worrying more about her or the Queen's bloodthirsty wolves. Now with a few days having passed, Red found her grandmother's cottage actually had been nice to spend time by herself in. She would still patrol her village for the wolves for most of her day, dispatching any who threatened her or the other villagers and occasionally chat with any friends who happened by. But mostly it had been quiet of late. And most of that had been thanks to the traps that had been set by the fairies, binding any wolf in magic until she arrived to either kill the wolves or set them free, depending on if they meant harm or not.

Red grinned as she came to a denser part of the forest to see another trap had clearly done its job. From her vantage point it seemed a rather large wolf had gotten itself caught, likely days ago as it was partially covered beneath the fallen snow, and she was all too happy to help in whichever way the moment would call for. Perhaps she would be truly fortunate and the beast would already be dead. If it had been one of the Queen's, at least. She would never wish such a fate on the wolves such as those who had raised her dear Huntsmen friends.

Only as Red stepped closer she realized it was no wolf at all and a hint of fear began to tug at her nerves. It was a man, lying in the snow, seemingly both frozen and unconscious. Had the fairies known? she wondered. If they had, why hadn't they helped him? Why had none of the woodsmen come to help either? How long had he been out here? How long had he been like this?

She fell to her knees at his side even as the questions continued to swirl in her mind. Another thing she forced herself to wonder instead was how she would manage to get him back to her granny's cottage if he couldn't walk. Thinking, and glancing back over her shoulder, Red sighed in relief to see they weren't too far from her grandmother's cottage after all. They were at least close enough to the path she used to get to and from it. If he could still be helped, she knew she could take him there since it seemed no other help would be near.

All that stopped Red from immediately helping him when she finally got a clear look at him, and his clothes, and truly saw his face was the realization of who he had to be. His wild brown hair, though matted and wet by the snow and ice. His golden skin, that the cold was likely to blame for having given even the slightest blueish tint to in some places. His mostly leather clothes..."Rumpelstiltskin," she breathed at the realization. It was clearly him who had been caught in the trap and Red knew that not even his own magic could have set him free from the fairies' curse. Not when they had been proud enough to boast that they knew how to bind his powers. But Red could free him, just as she could free any creature caught in those traps, if she chose to.

For a moment Red wondered if she should. So many stories had spread through her village over the years about him and none were particularly favorable or flattering.

"He's pure evil," her granny had warned.

"He thrives on tricking any he meets, particularly young girls like yourself," her mother had told her.

"You have learned how not to trust wolves in sheep's clothing. He is worse than any wolf you have ever faced, or even heard of. If there is one thing in all the forest you trust less than the wolves you've never met, you let it be that Imp," her father had told her.

Even if their stories were true, as she had presumed they were, did he deserve to die for all of that? She felt sick at knowing what her family's answer would be. To her mind he had done nothing to her. He had never harmed her, had never tricked her, had never even spoken to her. In fact this was the first time she had truly laid eyes on him. Right or wrong, no matter the scolding she may receive from her parents or Granny should they find out, she knew she couldn't leave him there. Even if they were right about him, even if he was the worst evil in all the land, Red knew she couldn't have lived with herself if she didn't at least try to help him.

"Rumpelstiltskin?" she tried with a gloved hand to his shoulder, hoping to wake him. He didn't stir. In case he could hear her even if unable to respond, she added, "You'll be alright now. I'm freeing you and you'll be safe soon." She was still uncertain if that was the truth even as she kicked the pieces of the trap away, but she hoped the curse would wear off much sooner than the chill that had threatened to claim him.

When he still didn't respond or even open his eyes even as she lifted him to a mostly seated position, she called to her horse and managed to raise him onto the animal's back. Taking hold of a reign, she led them back to Granny's cottage. Her home, she corrected herself, until Granny was back on her feet. For the first time since her granny had taken ill, Red was relieved it could be a while before that happened. She couldn't imagine just how much worse things could get should Granny or her parents find Rumpelstiltskin, even a possibly dying Rumpelstiltskin, in that cottage or in her company.

Red doubted they would be any happier if they knew she was helping him into her bed as soon as they reached the cottage, but she wouldn't allow herself to care about that or even think any more about it as she turned and threw a few logs into the fireplace of her bedroom and set a fire as quickly as she could. They weren't there and wouldn't be any time soon. He was and he was freezing and she knew all too well the one thing that would help the most in keeping him from getting any worse.

Without a second thought about it, she untied her cloak and laid it over him before she yanked off her gloves and dropped them to the floor. She untied her corset as quickly as humanly possible, then letting it fall to the floor behind her. She pushed her dress off of her shoulders next and let it drop and pool at her feet. Her skirts were next to join the growing pile of her clothing. Her boots were last before she turned her attention to his own.

Deciding to work her way from bottom to top with his clothing, she unlaced his boots first and tossed them aside with a heavy thud. Next, she got to work unbuttoning his vest before taking it off of him and then made quick work of his flowing shirt. His breeches were next and she was thankful she had already laid her cloak over him, wanting to keep this from being any more awkward. At least for once she wasn't worried about her reputation, but there were still things she knew she wasn't yet privy to see even if she was hoping to save the Imp's life.

Briefly Red thought how it was just her luck that this was her first experience of undressing a man. Her focus always having to center around her family or protecting the forest, there wasn't much room for romance. Certainly not when there had been that fear that any one of her fellow villagers could have been the wolf from long ago. At least none of them had to worry about that at the moment with the next full moon being weeks away.

When she had finished undressing him, she quickly laid his clothes over the nearest chair to dry and hoped to shut her thoughts off completely. Yes she was about to be nearly completely naked with a man in her bed for the first time, but it was solely to share body heat and help him survive. As quickly as she could manage, she righted her cloak back over him and reached for her blanket to cover and surround them both. It was then she moved as close to him as physically possible, facing him, as much of her skin to his as she could manage.

That was the first time she really noticed how different he was from the human men she knew, or even herself. Quite a time to think of that, she knew, but while he had been known for his golden skin and clearly she had just seen more than she had ever imagined she would, somehow the texture of his skin had never occurred to her. And frankly, as she was noticing, it might have actually felt quite nice against her own skin had he not been so robbed of any actual body heat of his own.

With that in mind, Red dutifully returned to her task in trying to warm him, her free arm slipping around him so she could reach his back and hopefully create enough friction to get his circulation working there again as well.

Meanwhile, though he couldn't be certain if it was a dream or perhaps a mirage brought on by his delirious state, Rumpelstiltskin knew something had greatly changed. He could feel what seemed to be a smooth and slender female body against his own and he could feel, presumably, that same someone touching him. Still too weak to even open his eyes to either see his rescuer or be forced to realize it wasn't real, he simply tried to focus on what little he could feel and even smell. The air had changed, he realized. It was a bit warmer and it was dry. He also realized that he no longer smelled snow, instead finding he could smell the burning wood from the fireplace. He decided then it had to be a dream and dared to let himself drift further back into it. At least if he was about to die he could pretend he wasn't alone.

Red could hear her granny's voice in her head even as she held the Imp's body to her own, still trying to create friction over his golden skin with her free hand as she ignored the reaction certain parts of her body were having to the coldness against her. She could hear her granny telling her she shouldn't have cared about him, how she should have treated him like any wolf, how her kind nature would bring her nothing but trouble. She tried to drown it out, but her fear was getting the better of her. What would happen if this wasn't enough and he did die? What if one of her friends had seen her bring him back and went to tell her family? Or worse, what if another woodsman appeared thinking he would be helping her by dispatching of the Imp?

Red knew she would have to do something, at least say something to prove this had been her choice and beg them not to breathe a word of it. But first she had to be sure she could leave him, and that wouldn't happen any time soon. For the time being she just hoped that luck would be on her side.

Eventually Red's arm tired from the exertion at his back and she could feel the minutes dragging by. She guessed by then even an hour had past since she had found Rumpelstiltskin in that snow. And finally, as his breathing had calmed enough to make her believe he had fallen into an at least mostly restful sleep, Red found she couldn't keep her own eyes open any longer. Not when her earlier panic and subsequent relief of him at least still being alive had exhausted her and now all of that was becoming coupled with the sounds of his breathing, beginning to lull her to sleep. She knew she had done all she could for the moment, and now she could only hope that when she did awake again she would be awakening to find that she had managed to help him. Of all the times to not be able to make a deal with him, and the sheer irony of wishing she could make a deal to save his life.

By the time Rumpelstiltskin found he could even ever so slightly move again, or open his eyes despite his vision being slightly blurred, night had fallen. The only light was that coming from the dying fire a few feet away and a nearby window that the sliver of the moon was peeking outside of. It was enough though for him to see he wasn't in his castle, nor still upon the snow. Bringing his gaze forward, he could also see there was a young, dark-haired young woman beside him in what he had realized to be a rather soft and warm bed.

It surprised him. He had tried willing himself to his castle and had failed. Then he guessed his only hope would be the Queen, or perhaps any other royals who wished to throw him into the nearest hole they called a dungeon. Instead he was in a cottage, with a young woman, saved from the winter hell he had spent however many days in.

He tried to think, trying to place any of this; particularly the woman. The last thing he could remember, guessing it was from that day, was seeing was a flash of red while the sun was still shining as brightly as it did most mornings.

Then he looked to see a bit of red material peeking out from under the thick blanket lying atop both his companion and himself. He could only imagine one person in all the forest to surround herself with red, given he had been the one to enchant that cloak in a deal an old woman had made with him, but he couldn't make himself believe the girl that woman had talked about the cloak having been for had been the one to save him. True that girl also had similar long dark locks that he realized he could not only see, but even smell from his proximity to her. However none of that could make him believe Red Riding Hood had been his heroine. As it was he had only seen that bit of red material, it wasn't as though he was able to see if it was in fact a cloak.

Wanting to get out of what was sure to soon be quite an awkward situation, even more so when he sensed his clothes were gone, Rumpelstiltskin tried to leave. He found he still couldn't much move, but he knew he wouldn't need to if he could conjure a puff of smoke and transport himself to his home and into his own bed.

Only, it wasn't working. Clearly the fairies' magic had been stronger than he had thought, and he was also clearly weaker than he had wished to believe. But that didn't stop him from shutting his eyes to concentrate and attempting to try again.

The shifting of the bed, slight as it may have been, began to wake Red. For a moment she had almost forgotten that morning had been quite real. It was only at seeing she wasn't alone that brought it all back for her.

"Rumpelstiltskin?" she asked just above a whisper. "Are you awake?"

Opening his eyes again, he met hers. "Where am I?" he managed, his voice hoarse from days of his throat remaining dry.

Sitting up slightly, she answered, "You're in a cottage, my granny's actually but you needn't worry about her for the time being. You're safe here. I found you in the trap the fairies had set for the wolves and brought you here to help you recover."

He tried to nod as he took it all in. "And you, dear?" he asked her.

Red smiled. "I guess you wouldn't be able to tell in the dark. I'm Red Riding Hood."

Part of Rumpelstiltskin wanted to vanish even more than he had before. Red Riding Hood had in fact been the one to save him? And was claiming to help him? He couldn't help but be suspicious. But then he calmed as he guessed that like most she too had done this because she had hoped to gain something from it. However, as she shifted closer to him, he supposed there might be a bit of something in it for him as well. Clearly his clothing had been removed, but as he felt her body against his, he realized hers had been as well. True he may not have been as able to enjoy it as he would have liked, but it was clear the cold was still getting to her, the goosebumps he could feel rising upon her skin, the pebbling of her nipples against his chest; perhaps he would die happy after all.

"You're still so cold," she commented, genuinely worried her efforts had been for naught.

"Not as cold as I was," he replied, realizing he at least wasn't shivering anymore.

"I should get you into a hot bath and then fix you some tea and soup. Unless you would rather wait until morning when it's warmer for the bath and skip now to the tea and soup. How long as it been since you've eaten?"

He couldn't be sure. He knew he had to have been out there for days, but exactly how many was beyond his memory. After a while they had all begun to blur together in a sea of white. Still, he decided on the simple answer of, "Days, or more."

Red nodded. "I'll be back as soon as I can be."

With that she slipped out of the bed and grabbed the first thing she could find to put on, which ended up being one of her bed dresses from the night before. "Stay warm," she added as she fixed what had been her side of both her cloak and the blanket to all but cocoon him there in her bed.

Rumpelstiltskin watched as she carefully lit a large candle and then a few more as she made her way to the kitchen. There wasn't much else he could do as he still couldn't really move nor muster the magic he would need to send himself home. He was at least thankful she had left the room's door open for him to see her as she moved about the cottage, musing slightly that even that dress of hers was red.

With the wood on for the stove, the fire going and the kettle started, Red tried to think what else she might need. Soup and tea seemed to be the easiest, and likely the most he could handle at the moment so she chose to start there.

She glanced back to him as she waited for both to warm. Finally she was finding she could drown out the overwhelming thoughts from earlier. She wasn't sure which bothered her most; the fact she knew she was going against everything she had been told or that she didn't find herself caring about that anymore.

All she had to ask herself was if he would have done the same for her if she had been the one in that trap instead. She was sure he would have. It would have been for his own gain, of course, but that didn't change her answer. She knew he would have certainly gotten her to make a deal with him and would have only freed her once said deal was in place. But the end result would have been the same; he would have still been the one to help her and free her.

Unable to sit or stand still, Red headed back into her bedroom to put another log on the fire there as well.

"Do you treat all your guests so well?" she heard him ask from behind her.

Red turned to him with a smile. With a chuckle, she answered, "I guess so." She was just about to ask him if he was feeling even a little better, but the shrieking of the kettle stopped her. Without another word she was back out of the room and in the kitchen.

It was a few moments later that Rumpelstiltskin got to watch her come back into the dim room, a steaming bowl in one hand and an equally steaming cup in the other. He tried to sit up in anticipation, but quickly found himself wishing he could wring the Blue Fairy's neck, or maybe just manage to break it between a pair of his nimble fingers when even that proved to be a chore.

"Hey, let me help," Red was quick to tell him, setting both the soup and tea down on a bedside table before sitting beside him.

"You shouldn't need to," he told her, his voice lower than earlier as his anger began to get the better of him.

"I know," she agreed. "But for now you need help, and I'm here. So, here," she offered as she helped him sit up and rearrange the pillows behind him well enough so he could lean against them while he ate. Only first she reached for the tea and held it for him as well, blowing carefully on it so it wouldn't burn either of them.

"You seem used to this," he told her after that first long sip.

"Sometimes when Granny gets sick, I'm the one to take care of her. When she gets worse my parents have to take over until she's well enough to come back. This is one of those times which is why she isn't here."

He nodded before taking another long sip of the warm liquid. He still wasn't sure what to make of this hospitality of hers, or whether it was because she wished to make a deal or if she just simply needed someone to care for. But now he was far too thirsty and hungry to ask, only managing to indicate to her which, between the soup and tea he wanted and when.

By the time she was able to anticipate him, Red was almost having fun with it; at least for the brief moments when she was able to forget the reason for all of this. She was just as quick though when she realized he was getting tired again. First she set the nearly empty bowl and cup back on the bedside table and then put an arm back around his shoulders as she tossed the pillows that she had placed behind him aside before finally helping him lay back down.

Finally he decided he was able to manage asking her that question, bracing himself for her answer even as he asked, "Why help me?" He couldn't help but still be curious as to how worried he should be given this was in fact the famed huntress' home.

"Because not even you deserve to die like that," she answered. "And I'm sure what you must be thinking, but I told you before, you're safe here. No one knows you're here and they won't unless you wish to tell them yourself."

"You must be quite brave, dearie. Alone with me in your home, knowing what I'm sure you do about me? Yet here you sit, giving me a warm place to lay and tea to drink. Is it simply that you feel I'm too weak for you to be afraid? Or is it something else?"

"If I was so frightened of you as most would wish for me to be, I wouldn't have saved you at all. But I did because there are times you aren't the worst monster in the forest. Nothing I've heard of you implies you chose to be what you are. Few of us have. Sometimes a little understanding, monster to monster, can go a long way."

She was right. And he smiled. He wondered what all they might have in common given that statement of hers, but he could feel sleep once again attempting to claim him. He knew he had done well to fight it this long, but if the girl was going to go to so much trouble to help him, he decided he may as well not let her efforts go to waste.

"Do you think you'll be okay for a few minutes?" she asked as she covered him back up with both her cloak and blanket.

He nodded as he managed to slowly turn over onto his side.

Red gave him a small smile before she headed back out of the room again. She knew she needed to get something to eat and drink herself, maybe even head outside for a few seconds and pretend to do a patrol. Or at least go and get some fresh air.

For the next several minutes Red just found herself going through the motions. It did at least feel normal to have someone else in the cottage aside from herself and to be taking care of them. Even if tonight it was the forest's most feared creature in place of her grandmother. Red guessed she had managed a full two seconds of fresh air before cleaning up what she needed to and getting herself some water and a bite to eat.

It was when she found herself about to sit in Granny's favorite chair that she truly felt the weight of her day begin to settle upon her shoulders. This was another secret she would have to keep. Not only having brought Rumpelstiltskin into her grandmother's cottage, but if any time in the future she heard stories from her friends about how he had tricked them, or forced them to give up their most precious possession, then she knew she would have to bear that burden. This one act of hers would be what would make it possible for him to continue to do either of those things.

Truly Red could think of no one she could tell of this. Even her closest friends would likely judge her for it or accuse him of planning it all. Even if one in particular would know why she felt such a strong need to help those she could. But as she stepped quietly back into her room and crawled back into her bed beside Rumpelstiltskin's sleeping form, she still couldn't force herself to wish she had made any other choice.


	2. Test of Trust

Title: Let Me Be Your Heroine  
>Summary: Rumpelstiltskin becomes stuck in a trap left for the wolf and bound by magic. Red Riding Hood finds him, almost frozen to death. She brings him home and tends to him and in return he rewards her with anything she desires. She chooses to know what a being like him would be like as hers.<br>Rating: PG-13  
>Spoilers: 1x15<br>Word Count:  
>PairingCharacters: Red/Rumpelstiltskin, Blue Fairy, mentions Granny and others  
>Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time is not owned by me, but by ABC. I'm simply borrowing these characters for non-profit entertainment.<br>A/N: One of my fills for the OUAT kink meme on LJ. And the woodsman is an OC. 

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><p>Chapter 2, Test of Trust:<p>

Once again Rumpelstiltskin awoke first almost as soon as the sun had risen and Red wasted no time in getting another hot cup of tea ready for both of them. She knew she would have to go out to the well soon to get the water for his bath and wanted to prepare as best she could. She even hated that she would have to take her cloak back for the walk, but she had felt for herself that nearly all of the warmth had returned to his body even if he was still quite weak. Surely he could survive a matter of minutes wrapped simply in her blankets and with another fire going.

It was only after she had fully dressed for the day and had gone to slip her cloak on that he told her, "You don't have to do this."

"I know," she nodded. "But I'm going to. And you're just going to have to accept someone taking care of you for once."

Red didn't give him a chance to reply as she glanced around once more to be sure she hadn't forgotten anything. The fire was going, she had drawn the bed curtains just in case and he didn't seem to be trying to leave. She also already had the containments for the warming of the water in the kitchen already. All she needed was to actually force herself to step outside and hope no one would come to the cottage while she was away, even if she was just going mere feet from it.

"Red?" she heard a deeply accented and familiar voice ask almost as soon as she reached the well.

"Morrison," she sighed out at the tall woodsman she had considered a friend for years, surprised to see him in this part of the forest.

"Are you alright? We were worried when we saw one of the wolf traps had been disturbed and then when you didn't come last night."

"I am. I guess time just got away from me." The look in the man's dark eyes proved he didn't believe her, but he was also unsure why she would lie.

"Of course," he finally told her, guessing the reason she seemed out of sorts. "I heard your granny had taken ill. There must be much you're taking care of in her absence. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"These?" she asked as she motioned to the containments. She didn't like the idea of risking him getting too close to figuring out what she was hiding, but she knew trying to rush him or get him to leave altogether would raise even more suspicion.

"Gladly," he smiled as he moved to help her.

Red smiled back, feeling an all familiar flutter in her stomach at the sight of his dimples. So often it was worth it to see him smile just for that pair of reasons alone. True most saw the scars upon his face when they would first see him despite his short and graying beard, those people often taking the sight of those still ever prominent scars as proof that his life as a woodsman had not been an easy one. But not her. Not since the day Granny had introduced her to him. He had smiled then too and she had decided in that moment that had he either been a few years younger or she a few years older, and without a certain secret, she might have wondered what could have been. Instead as the years had passed and her crush had dwindled, she was glad at least to have his friendship.

"I did talk to The Blue Fairy on my way over here," he told her finally when she brought up the first bucket of water.

"You did? About the trap?" she guessed.

Morrison nodded. "She re-enchanted the spell to fix it."

"Do they know what damaged it?" She held her breath waiting for his answer.

"An animal, they suppose, one larger than a wolf. The Blue Fairy had hoped you would have some insight as to who or what could have escaped the trap's power."

Exhaling, Red simply shook her head. "I was out patrolling yesterday morning, and I saw the trap, but nothing was inside of it."

"That's worrisome, nothing should have been able to escape without your help or the help of a fairy or perhaps one like myself. Though I suppose there is one man in the forest who could... But even that's doubtful. The Blue Fairy knows how to bind his powers when necessary."

"A man?" Red asked, knowing that feigning innocence would be her only hope here. She had already lied about no one having been in the trap, she knew she couldn't claim to know more about him than she had two days before.

Morrison nodded. "An Imp rather, he is called Rumpelstiltskin. If I'm right and he is the one who escaped the trap then he could be anywhere near these parts. However, should you find him, he would be extremely weak, perhaps even near death if he managed to escape the trap without help." With that he set the now third bucket on the side of the well and turned to Red, catching her eye as he continued, "Now you must hear me, Red, if you do see him, if you do find him, do not be fooled despite his weakened state. He is as dangerous as any story you have been told of him. And once he has you make a deal with him, as I'm certain he would try to convince you to do, you would be indebted to him until he has whatever you deem most precious to you."

Morrison's words sent a chill through Red. She supposed if anyone would know the truth to any of those stories, it would be a woodsman; someone who had seen the effects Rumpelstiltskin would have on those in the forest. She wondered if she had already been tricked by him. But then Morrison had just told her that he wouldn't be pretending to be weak, and so far he had asked nothing of her. And she could be thankful at least that they had entered into no deal as of yet. Red hadn't even thought of entering into one when she found him, not even wishing to use her helping him as a bargaining chip. Now however she guessed if she ever needed one, this could be it. In exchange for her saving his life perhaps she could get him to leave her and her family alone forever after. For as worried as Morrison had made her just a moment ago, she was finding herself relaxing quite quickly with that realization. Still, she nodded.

"But if I am wrong, and it was not Rumpelstiltskin, you should still remain your most careful. Even I would fear who or what else it could have been. But with the trap in place again, the curse even stronger than the last, no wolf nor Imp will be getting out there so easily next time."

"If you see The Blue Fairy again on your way back, could you tell her I wish to see her?" Red asked him. Granted that would make it two people who she had hoped to not see in this area today, but again, at least there would be one fewer to think she was hiding something or someone.

"Sure," he agreed.

Once the containments were full, Red and Morrison parted ways and she was finally on her way back to the cottage. Why part of her was worried Rumpelstiltskin wouldn't still be there when she got back, she wasn't sure. The last she had seen he had still barely been able to move. And Morrison had just confirmed that was how he would likely remain for a while longer. But she also knew she couldn't trust him. Could he have been pretending? About some of it, sure. But she knew The Blue Fairy's magic well enough to know that while he may have healed from the cold, he couldn't have shaken the effects of her curse so easily.

Even with that wonder still worrying her as she walked back into the cottage, Red began the fire for the oven and set the containments down atop the stove to warm before returning to her room once more.

Red almost found herself smiling when she saw Rumpelstiltskin seemed to have fallen back to sleep while she was out. Relieved, she guessed maybe she could begin to trust him just a little. At least enough to not presume he would try to escape back into the snow she had saved him from just yet. And that was good, she decided, as she was finding she hated the thought of someone like Morrison catching up with him in his weakened state.

She could only imagine her want to protect him was as simple as enjoying the sense of danger and mystery he embodied. Was it the wolf in her feeling comfort in his own darkness? Or was it that she felt she had the chance to finally feel she wasn't the worst monster she knew? Either way, the man she knew she should be terrified of was somehow able to relax her a little more in that moment with his mere presence.

She supposed it may also have been that for all the stories and warnings she had been told and given, none of them had anticipated that the day she would be faced with him would be when he was in such a fragile state. In the woods she had always been on guard and at the ready for any danger that could come her way. But she guessed now that she was seeing him in a very different way than anyone possibly ever had and because of that she had in return reacted in a very different way than how she ordinarily would have with him.

Red moved one of the bed curtains aside and put a hand to his shoulder. "Rumpelstiltskin," she whispered, hoping she could wake him nicely enough so he wouldn't be startled. He barely stirred so she tried again, this time with her hand gently stroking his face and repeating his name.

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes opened that time, slowly and taking a moment to adjust. He thought for sure they still were when he saw Red smiling softly down at him.

"Hey," she told him. "The water's ready whenever you are."

"Are you offering to help?" he asked, unable to keep as much of a smirk as he could muster from his lips.

Red nodded. "It seems you're still in need of it."

Indeed he was and Red was true to her word. She helped him out of her bed and into the tub once she had filled it with the warm water. Once again she found herself attempting to shut off her thoughts as she brought the washcloth over him but it was proving to be of no use.

Truly, his body was mesmerizing to her. Not only as a man, as this was certainly the first time she had ever been in this situation with one, but as an Imp. She wondered if it was more the soft shimmer of his greenish-golden skin when the firelight would dance just the right way over him, or if it was the slightly rough, almost reptilian texture of him.

Behind him, her arm still around him at his chest, Red almost smiled when he laid his head back against her shoulder. His eyes were closed and perhaps a bit more intentionally than she would care to admit, her fingertips slipped ever so slightly past the washcloth and to his skin. The day before she had been touching him mostly in fear and panic. Now they were both relaxed, or at least more so, and she couldn't help herself.

Of course Rumpelstiltskin had noticed, but to his credit he managed to keep the knowing smile from his lips and decided to concentrate more on her touch even when she properly returned her hand to the washcloth. It had been so long since he had been touched in such a way, particularly with such apparent care and absolute tenderness he almost couldn't believe, that he didn't wish to ruin the moment by even looking at her. But that didn't stop him from inhaling her scent each time she leaned over him just enough for his face to be at the nape of her neck and feel her hair fall over the side of his face. If it were any other day and he was in a better position, he might have considered taking advantage of his situation. But as it was he was only able to choose to enjoy it as he could.

Afterwards, Red brought him a pair of towels and helped to dry his skin and hair, not wanting to the cold to return to him for any longer than it absolutely had to. Which was also what had her soon offering him a change of clothes, a few that had been her father's. She doubted his others had completely dried.

"My own are quite fine, dearie," Rumpelstiltskin told her as she set the items down.

"If you were leaving or able to do much more than rest, they would be. You're clearly still in no shape to even be considering being on your own or leaving this bed for more than a matter of moments, and even then you still need help. You need to rest and these clothes are much more suited for that than your leathers," Red told him.

He didn't like it and he hated not being able to be in control and being seen as weak, but he knew he had to relent. He simply didn't have the strength to argue with her nor fight her in any sense. For that visions of exploding blue fairy dust began to fill his mind. A fitting punishment for that winged witch, he decided.

"Here," Red offered as she moved to help him with the breeches and then what she guessed she could now consider to be his shirt. She doubted her father would miss them, he hadn't even seemed to notice he had left them there from a past week long visit.

They weren't a perfect fit, in fact they were a little large on him. But they were warm and they were dry and it seemed they would do. He at least didn't seem to have any further objections to them once they were on.

As Rumpelstiltskin laid down again, Red took his sigh as a form of relief. She was relieved herself to see that he was beginning to be able to move just a little bit more on his own. And with him resting again she decided she would be able to mostly go about her day as otherwise planned, hopeful no one else would realize the change in her schedule for the now second day in a row.

She began by emptying the tub and then going to finally get herself some tea and even a bit of breakfast. It wasn't much and it was cold, but she didn't want to risk the sounds of any clanging of the pot or pan or even cooking waking him. She hoped the more rest he got the sooner he would be back to his usual self and on his way back to the forest or his own cottage or castle or wherever it was he called home.

Not that Red could claim she minded helping him. She hadn't even minded helping him with his bath, as she supposed her ever so slight wandering fingers had proven. But that was all the more reason she decided he needed to be back on his feet as quickly as possible; while she was still willing to let him go.

An hour may have passed as she remained at the table, her mind once again reeling from the events from the past twenty-four hours. From having found him in the snow, to having her nearly naked body pressed to his for half of that previous day, to that very morning. Finally she made herself get up, knowing she needed to make her rounds, maybe even go check up on Granny at her parents' cottage to be sure none of them would be returning early. If she was lucky she might even manage find The Blue Fairy and give her a piece of her troubled mind.

Dressed and with her weapons concealed neatly beneath her cloak, Red decided she was as ready as she would get and headed out into the forest. But she couldn't stop herself from glancing back to the cottage every few moments until it was finally out of sight. She worried if Rumpelstiltskin would awake while she was out, worried that she might be in too much of a hurry today and might miss something, worried she might even confess to The Blue Fairy just what had happened... And what if Morrison came back to the cottage in the hope of checking on her? So far what was supposed to have been a way to clear her mind was only making things worse. She was just about to turn back when she heard her name being called and shaking her from her reverie.

"Oh, Red, there you are!"

"Blue Fairy," she replied with a tense smile, realizing it was she who was flying up to her. Given she was the one who had technically caused this crisis of morality for her, Red wasn't sure just what she should feel in that moment, but fought to maintain her composure.

"A woodsman told said you wished to see me, but you weren't on your usual route. I hope nothing is wrong."

Red took a deep breath to keep herself from replying in what ordinarily might have been a sarcastic fashion. Instead she replied, "I wanted to see a few of the other traps you and the other fairies set. I saw there was a problem with one yesterday, some pieces being scattered."

"So I heard," the fairy frowned. "I am sorry for that, Red, I was sure I had made it strong enough to catch anything nefarious."

If the stories she had heard of Rumpelstiltskin were true, Red guessed the trap had done its job in that sense. But the traps were supposed to be for wolves only and even then only those in their wolf form and those who were looking only to kill. "What if your trap had caught a man? Or some other beast that perhaps meant no harm? Like that cursed prince from years ago? If no one could get to them in time -"

"Indeed. Perhaps I may have needed to word my curse a little better, but you can be sure that won't happen again. Even with that trap's curse re-enchanted, I can promise you from here on they are set only to catch wolves and any other who strictly means harm. Though even I can't conjure the sort of magic that would capture the Queen."

"What about The Dark One?" she asked, hoping to never be faced with repeating this. She had been fortunate thus far in no one having seen her take him in. She knew well that sort of luck, if that was indeed what it was, might not last a second time. Red also decided it was better to call the Imp by his title within the forest than his name.

"Oh, yes. Certainly him. And while even I can't bind his powers permanently, at least not as of yet, he would be without them for days; certainly long enough for you to call to any woodsman or huntsman or even the king's men to deal with him as he deserves. I tell you this because you mustn't kill him, no matter what happens. If you or anyone were to kill him, his curse would transfer to that person."

Red nodded, taking all of this in as best she could. That was certainly one part of his story she hadn't yet heard. Her words from the night before came back to her then, how she had known that he hadn't asked to become what he now was. Now she supposed she had been told how right she was. But in that case, it also made him a killer. If he had killed the previous Dark One and that had transferred the curse to him... But then she guessed she couldn't judge him too harshly for that. If he had wished that upon himself then that killing would have been intentional. As he hadn't, she decided that must mean it had been some sort of an accident. Just like her own killing which she still hoped to one day forget.

"Thank you, Blue Fairy," she told her finally, once again having to almost literally shake herself from her thoughts.

"You're welcome, Red. You must forgive me though, I shouldn't have spoken so much about The Dark One. If he had been the one to disturb that trap or be caught in it, he would have still been there or near there. There's no one in the forest would come to his aid and not even the animals would dare eat him. Even the Queen wishes not to have dealings with him, not even to have him thrown into her dungeon. You just see that you're careful on your journey."

Red nodded again before the fairy flew off to wherever she was needed next and she continued on her walk, relieved there didn't seem to be anyone or anything in need of rescue or death. Within another matter of moments she found herself heading back to the cottage, knowing that seemed to be where she was needed, and potentially wanted, most. True she was cutting her day short, but her worry over Rumpelstiltskin was growing again. Now two people had warned her of him in almost as many hours and according to The Blue Fairy he may have had a reason for being near her cottage the day before. Had he made a deal with a wolf or a pack of them? Had he come to trade her life for something else? Perhaps the lives of her family?

Red found herself shocked when she walked back into her granny's cottage. Not only had Rumpelstiltskin left her bed, but he was sitting at the table near the kitchen as though he had been waiting for her.

"I wasn't aware you'd gone," he told her, surprised himself to see she had returned alone. He had thought for sure she had left to find a woodsman or a huntsman. The day had started out so well, he knew he would have been a fool to think it could continue to be so pleasant. Particularly in that moment when he had awakened to find she had left him alone.

Red swallowed. "I had to make my rounds, to go on at least a bit of my patrol, just in case. I couldn't risk anyone thinking anything was different and coming here with their questions." She thought it best not to speak of Morrison having appeared that morning as well.

"Indeed," he smiled, relieved that had been her only reason. "I suppose this may take a bit more getting used to. I worried you may have been bringing a friend back with you. Perhaps one who might take me off your hands."

Had he seen Morrison? she wondered. She just shook her head and then asked, "Is that why you left my bed?"

"I was hoping to see how much of my strength had returned, particularly if I should truly need it. Not enough of it has, it appears. And I still can't seem to work up enough magic to even return myself to your bed."

"So you waited here even while you thought I'd be bringing someone back to take you or worse?"

"Didn't seem I had much choice, dearie. But I do appreciate your concern," he grinned a bit more sardonically than he had intended.

"While I was out, I talked to The Blue Fairy. She said that the curse upon the trap was to catch anyone who strictly meant harm. Was that why you were in these parts of the woods? Was there someone you were after?" she asked him, torn between ready to strike at a moment's notice and wanting to believe the man she had been helping.

He shook his head before answering, "I had heard the Queen's wolves had returned and planned to spare no one. I came only in the hope of making a deal, as I often do. But it would seem the fairy magic I walked into had other plans."

"Only a deal?" When he nodded, his eyes still locked on hers, she sighed. "Then why would she, like all the rest, make it all seem so much worse?"

"You could say the fairies and I don't see eye to eye. It's a long story as to why that is, and one I would rather not tell. But I will say you have nothing to fear from me. I came only to offer my services and I seem instead to have been rewarded by your care."

"I guess I can tell you now that if I was the one you intended to make that deal with, you would have come to the wrong girl anyway. I don't need help with the wolves."

"So I've seen," he chuckled. "But if you did not wish for a deal of some sort, why did you help me out of that snow and in turn save me? Why not leave me to die as I'm sure your grandmother or any friend would have told you to?"

That was a sobering question, and she had an even more sobering answer for it. "I have seen enough death in these woods to last me two lifetimes. I had no reason to leave you there to become another."

"Not even to become a hero in the eyes of your family or the other villagers?"

"They may have seen a hero," she admitted, "but each time I would have looked into a mirror after that I would have seen a murderer. I couldn't have lived with that."

"And why is that, Lady Red? Surely they have all told you stories of my wicked ways."

"Yes, I've heard stories, but I don't feel you deserved to die because of them. As it's been told to me, you warn those you deal with that there is a heavy price to be paid. If they are still willing to make deals despite that then I can't understand why they feel you should be punished in such a way."

"Perhaps they are not as smart as you are to see that," he replied.

"Perhaps not," she agreed.

As the next few hours passed, they each decided they had made their peace; both realizing that they could stand to trust the other just a little more. He could have proven to be as evil as her friends had claimed him to be and she could have returned with one of those friends to either kill him or make him wish he were dead. But neither had happened.

Instead she had left to be sure he would be just a little bit more protected in the sense that if her friends had seen her then they likely wouldn't imagine anything was amiss and would see no reason to check up on the cottage itself to find him. And while Rumpelstiltskin knew well that he was rarely known for his kinder moments, he found he had no reason to show Red Riding Hood any less politeness or outright kindness than she had shown him.

After their dinner, Red found herself helping Rumpelstiltskin back to her bed once more. She didn't even question it though he didn't seem to need quite as much help as he had needed even that morning, but some was still clearly in order. She also didn't question the return specifically to her bed as she had already decided she wouldn't leave him.

True it was more comfortable for her knowing she would only have to strip down to her bed dress this time and that he had his own clothes for the night, but she knew that if it had been needed she wouldn't have stopped herself from repeating the previous night's actions; or state of undress.

But this had proven to be a new night and despite the barriers of their clothes separating their skin, still they were once again wrapped not only in the warmth of her cloak and blanket lying atop them, but also of him back in her arms.

It should have been enough to frighten Red, she was sure, the forest's famed huntress sharing her bed for another night with the same forest's feared Imp. But in that moment she wished only to sleep, even if the dawn would find them in that same embrace.


	3. A Simple Desire

Title: Let Me Be Your Heroine  
>Summary: Rumpelstiltskin becomes stuck in a trap left for the wolf and bound by magic. Red Riding Hood finds him, almost frozen to death. She brings him home and tends to him and in return he rewards her with anything she desires. She chooses to know what a being like him would be like as hers.<br>Rating: R  
>Spoilers: 1x15<br>Word Count: 5,329  
>PairingCharacters: Red Riding Hood/Rumpelstiltskin, Blue Fairy, mentions Granny and others  
>Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time is not owned by me, but by ABC. I'm simply borrowing these characters for non-profit entertainment.<br>A/N: One of my fills for the OUAT kink meme on LJ. And the woodsman is an OC. 

* * *

><p>Chapter 3, A Simple Desire:<p>

Another day passed, and then a second. So far things had stayed much like that. It was becoming almost routine for both of them. Red would awake, finding herself smiling briefly at the sight of Rumpelstiltskin still beside her. Red guessed it was her disbelief more than anything being the reason for it. She couldn't be sure if she was losing her mind or if perhaps his powers were to blame for this, but she was somehow amused by this change. But then, she guessed, it did make sense. There were others in the forest who could hold their own against him, but few who would do all she had already done. The Blue Fairy had even told her as such.

"No one would come to his aid," she remembered her saying. But she had, and she smiled again at that fact. She would still be smiling as she carefully left the bed to go about making their breakfast. From there she would wake him and help him back to the table to continue to build his strength back up. Then after he would decide whether he wished to stay there or return to her bed, she would dress for her own day and set out on her patrol.

Red would return before dark, getting more used to seeing him when she would come home, and set about making their dinner. She supposed it was part of her already being used to caring for someone in that cottage, though the idea of getting used to it not being Granny was still surprising.

But what Red found to be even more surprising was when she would find herself looking forward to either sitting down with him for tea or dinner or even returning to his side in her bed.

Proving once more her friends' words of warning were becoming lost on her the more time she spent with him, on the second day Red even stopped by her parents' cottage to check up on Granny. Though in truth it was mostly to be sure none of them had plans to return to the cottage yet. She couldn't be sure how long it would be before Rumpelstiltskin could leave, or if he maybe even wanted to, but she knew she needed to know when she should be ready.

Red hated that she was relieved to hear her father tell her that Granny wouldn't be coming home for at least another week. She would never wish her granny ill even despite the differences she sometimes had with her, but she decided at least then she wouldn't have to worry quite so much as to any unexpected visits by them or having to hurry Rumpelstiltskin on his way. Particularly as she didn't wish to hurry him on his way anymore.

With the sky beginning to darken ever so slightly, Red bid farewell to her family and headed back to her granny's cottage, already looking forward to the Imp's smiling face greeting her when she returned. Not that she would dare breathe a word of that, of course.

"Ah, Little Red," he grinned as she walked back in.

She shook her head. She hated still being called that, though from him it was almost endearing. "You must be feeling better," she replied, noting the almost musical tone in his voice.

"Indeed, dearie. In fact," he told her as he jumped up from the seat at the table and with a mere wave of his right hand the fire beneath the stove whooshed to life.

Red jumped, surprised. "Your magic -"

"I can do more than that, my pet. Watch." He waved his left hand that time and each of the candles in the room were instantly lit and he laughed and applauded at his handiwork.

"How?" was all she could ask.

"The fairy's magic was never meant to last for more than a matter of days, surely only long enough for me to parish there in the snow. But alas I was saved by a beauty in red and the fairy's magic was allowed to wear off. Now it seems I am as well as can be."

Red knew she should be thrilled, jumping for joy even. But something was keeping her from doing either. She dared not let herself think why; knowing she already had her answer. She wasn't ready to say goodbye, to not see him still beside her in the morning light.

"I thank you for the kindness you have shown me, Pet, but I fear I must be on my way. When you wish for repayment of all you have done, you only need call my name," he stated as he moved away from the table and counter.

"Wait -" she told him, realizing he meant to vanish there before her eyes. "How can you be so sure the fairy's magic has worn off completely? How do you know you won't be falling for another one of her traps? The forest is riddled with them especially now since they all seem to think you were in fact the one in that trap."

The girl certainly had a point. This could have been a trick, but he felt fine. Better than fine in fact. And that was what was making her words sink in. Perhaps he really was doing too well too soon.

"Just, stay for one more night? Just to be sure?" she asked, hating that she couldn't keep the pleading completely from her voice.

"You... wish for me to stay?" he asked her, unable to recall the last time anyone, much less a beauty such as herself, had even implied they wished for him to stay with them.

Red nodded. "Please? I would just fear of waking tomorrow the same sight as I found that first day."

"In that case, for your peace of mind, I shall. And now I shall also wait for my meal to be brought to me," he grinned as he reclaimed his seat at the table.

Red laughed, quickly deciding this was a side of him she could get used to. Even if he was serious about expecting to still be waited on by her, it was still better than that frighteningly weakened version of him she had first seen. This was more like the Rumpelstiltskin she had expected to meet. Lively, giggling, playfully ordering her about. All that would be left would be for him to produce a contract or magic in his spinning wheel and all of the pieces would be in place.

Their night continued as the others had, only this time without Rumpelstiltskin requiring her help in getting around or even to her bed. And unlike the other nights before, Red found herself slipping her arm around him not solely to keep him warm, but because she knew she would miss feeling his slim body against her own, of feeling his heart beating beside hers, even falling asleep to the sound his light snoring.

In fact the idea of this being her last night with him kept her awake for hours longer than it should have. He had fallen asleep quickly, but she found herself still looking to the clothes she had given him, gently running her fingers through the ends of his surprisingly soft hair, and wishing to touch more of him but fearing she would wake him if she did.

She wished she could understand it. Even a week ago she rarely thought of him at all, his name being more of a cautionary tale while she was making her rounds patrolling in the forest. She would keep to her paths and speak only to her friends, knowing better than to even breathe the word "deal." She wondered if she had just been that overprotected. Or if it was because this had been the first time she had spent so much time alone with a man. But then Rumpelstiltskin was certainly unlike any ordinary man.

Red knew then she had her answer. He wasn't like any other man she would find in the forest, that much was clear, and his own curse was likely to blame for that. But she found herself clinging to him all the same, hoping he at least wouldn't choose to vanish from her side in the night.

Red could think of nothing to match the relief she felt when dawn came and she saw he hadn't seemed to have moved at all.

"I'm glad you took me up on my offer," she told him when they finished eating their breakfast that morning. "I appreciate you keeping me from having to show up at your castle and force my kind nature upon you there."

He smiled, unsure he had ever been met with that sort of a threat. "Well, dearie, as I said last night, I am willing to grant you anything you desire in repayment for the kindness you have shown me here. I felt it rude to leave without making that very deal."

"You said I could request anything?" she asked him, wondering if she would allow herself to voice what she truly did want most in that moment. The very thing that terrified her to even admit to herself that she wanted.

"Perhaps not anything. There are limitations even for me. Bringing anyone back from death, wishing for someone to love you, things of that nature cannot be done. However, if you wish for enough gold to fill this entire cottage, you only need to say the word. The same if you wish for your own castle complete with each of its chambers filled with as much gold as they can contain. Protection from wolves for as long as you live? Your granny's enduring good health? All could be granted."

Red thought for a moment. Most of that was more tempting than it should have been. But she looked to him again, realizing, and perhaps it was because of how he had spent most of his time there, but she was realizing he didn't seem as evil as Granny or even The Blue Fairy or Morrison had claimed. She knew he could have been cruel to her despite the earlier state he had been in, or he could have chosen then to threaten her with a heavy price for her desires. Instead he hadn't and in fact seemed grateful for all she had done for him even if she knew it hadn't truly been much.

Red thought again of how she had mostly enjoyed this time with him, save for when she had been out of her mind with worry first of him not surviving and then of her friends or family knowing he was there at all. But she thought back to the night before and how much of her had needed him to agree to stay, how comfortable she had become sharing both her home and bed with him. She knew then not only what she wanted, but that she would make herself tell him.

"A castle filled with gold in each of its chambers is quite the tempting offer," she admitted finally. "But I wouldn't wish for it for just myself."

"Of course, bring your granny along too! It would be a shame for me to not thank her as well, what with her not having been here so you could care for me without worry."

"I meant I wouldn't wish for my own castle. I would wish for yours," she told him, her eyes locked on his.

"It's not for sale, dearie," he smirked. "As I said, there are certain limitations."

She laughed at the musical tone returning to his voice. Would she ever get the words out properly? "What I mean to say is I wouldn't wish for my own castle, nor yours without you in it. I would wish to go to your castle with you when you leave here."

That had surprised him. Had she in fact not seen him as a burden? Was she really willing to forgo all her grandmother had surely told her of him? Perhaps this was what she had meant by there being a common understanding between monsters. Finding his voice, he asked, "You mean you wish to remain with me?"

Red smiled. "You aren't like the others described you. Or at least you haven't been to me. That is my wish, for this time with you to not end. My granny has my parents to care for her and you promised me anything I desire. What I desire is you... and to know what a man like you would be like as my own."

The idea of someone wishing simply for him, and calling him a man rather than a thing or beast, was so foreign to him. Rumpelstiltskin almost couldn't believe what she was saying. But as he had in fact promised her anything she wished, he replied, "You said yourself that you know there is a heavy price to be paid for my deals. In this case while you would not be my prisoner and would see your family again should you wish to, I cannot promise they would not cast you out. Your friends either, I'm afraid."

She nodded. "I know. But I was already risking that the moment I decided to help you and bring you here. Granny and the others could never understand this as it is, but it doesn't change that this is what I want. I knew it for sure last night when I thought it might be the last night I might so much as see you."

He smiled, still in a bit of disbelief, but happy. "In that case, we have a deal, my pet."

"Good," she smiled back. "And if this should be our last day here, I would ask that we could make it a memorable one."

"How memorable would you like for it to be?" He certainly had his hopes, but he couldn't be sure if what he was seeing in his mind at that moment were in fact her own fantasies or his foresight.

Red almost blushed. "The first day you were here we spent it unclothed in my bed with our bodies pressed together. I would wish for today to end the same way, though for a more celebratory reason."

He smiled, easily sensing what she meant. Perhaps it was both her fantasies and his foresight playing in his mind. Taking her hand, he told her, "Anything my lady wishes."

Red smiled as she stood, her hand still in his as she led him back to her bedroom. It was only then, standing beside her bed in front of him that it truly began to dawn on her what she had said, what she found she did in fact want. There would already be no turning back, not when she had just all but promised herself to him, and the thought made her smile as she went to kiss him for the first time.

Easily, Rumpelstiltskin found himself returning the tender, mere lip to lip exchange. He couldn't believe how she was holding him to her and he would be lying if he claimed he hadn't thought of this more times than even he could count over all the years he had seen her, even watched her in the forest. And now he had her, or soon would. He hadn't even needed to trick her for the privilege. For the first time he considered that a victory.

Red broke the kiss a moment later, and noticed the confusion darkening Rumpelstiltskin's features. "It's been too long since I've felt your skin against mine," she explained as she brought her fingers to his flowing shirt, thankful he wasn't wearing a vest this time. The shirt was gone in a moment and with a wave of his hand so was her corset.

"You only need tell me what you wish, my pet," he told her even as he watched her gaze and fingers move to his chest. She seemed fascinated by his skin even still, perhaps even fascinated by him and her touch was so soft he barely even felt it.

"I told you what I wish. For you," she told him when her eyes met his once more.

"Ah, but there's more. So much more you've yet to know. But soon you will. And as it's me you want, it is me you shall have."

Red smiled, sitting on the side of her bed then and bringing him gently down with her as she reclined back. Red held him closer still as she slanted her mouth against his, one hand losing itself in his long hair as her tongue ran along his lower lip. Kissing she had certainly done before, often too in secret. But that was just it, she had only kissed before. And with what most in the village would still consider a boy, just as they often still considered her a mere girl despite her eighteenth birthday having already passed. She had never kissed a man before, and certainly not one she could easily presume to know what he was doing. And while she had only heard stories of what this would lead to, she knew she wanted it. More importantly, she knew she wanted it from him.

This wasn't how she had imagined her first time when the thoughts had entered her mind, of course. But somehow that made it all the more exciting to her. Rumpelstiltskin was hardly some young male villager who could be considered a suitable match for her by her family or friends, and clearly there would be no small wedding held in the middle of the village, nor a small cottage for them to share afterwards.

Instead he was the only thing in the forest more feared than a wolf, her promise to be his was simply that and possibly even more binding than any wedding vow, and while this would always be the first bed they had shared, their home would soon be his castle. The thought made her smile.

"I'm glad this pleases you," Rumpelstiltskin told her as he slowly broke their kiss, having felt that very smile for himself.

Red's smile grew slightly before she told him, "The only thing that displeases me is that you still feel too far away."

He was nearly on top of her, but he guessed that was what she meant. "Indeed, dearie. But I won't be for long," he replied. There was much of him that didn't wish to go at all slowly, a part of him that wished for nothing more than to rip open the bodice of her dress, push up her skirts and claim her for his own as she clearly seemed to want him to do. But this time he refused. There would be plenty of time for that later. For all intents and purposes this may as well have been their wedding night, or as close to one as they would get for he knew the Queen would be aware of their union if they made it any more official than it was about to be.

With the deal they had just made, and even this consummation should anyone know of it, could still allow the Queen to be convinced he was keeping her prisoner, just keeping her as some sort of plaything or as his new favorite weapon. But should they wed there would be nothing to keep the Queen from potentially abducting her or having her killed just to hurt him. He knew she would do it, as she would do anything to remind him she was the all powerful one.

Still, today he would prove his care for the girl, to show her the kindness she had shown him over these days and give her all he knew no one else ever had.

Red soon felt her dress and skirts slipping from her, his magic clearly the culprit as it slid even from under her and to the edge of the bed. All the while she watched his amber eyes as he took that moment to admire her body as it slowly became exposed him. A slight blush rose on her cheeks then, for a moment feeling almost too exposed beneath his gaze. But when he looked back to her face, looking for all the world as though she was the greatest gift he had ever received, she only felt warm and calm. Many times she had been told she was beautiful, though hardly in a way a princess would be thought of being. But the look in Rumpelstiltskin's eyes began to make her feel almost like a queen. His queen.

"You can do more than look," she told him, wanting to feel his hands all over her just as she longed to touch his skin again.

That wish was simple enough to grant, he decided. And soon he did take to exploring her body with his hands, even as he bent down to capture her lips once more. It was almost enough to make him moan himself when he felt her arching into both his touch and kiss. But it was when he finally cupped a breast and gave it a gentle squeeze that Red moaned into his mouth and began to give him an idea of just how much more she really did want.

Placing a hand flat against his chest, Red felt it only fair that she get to explore a bit herself, the rough patches of his skin against her palm, feeling his heartbeat against her fingertips, her hand easing down further until it reached the top of his breeches.

Rumpelstiltskin finally moaned himself when her hand slipped lower still to feel him hard beneath her touch. It was then he broke their kiss again, this time to kiss along her jaw and her neck before reaching her collarbone.

Red couldn't be sure what exactly the name for all she was feeling was. She only knew that something was building within her, making her heart pound harder and leaving her wet in a way she couldn't remember ever having been before. And still she hoped it would never stop.

Moving both of her hands to his back, she held him closer and felt her hips twist against his almost of their own volition and she nearly gasped. Even through his breeches, that bit of friction had felt better than she had guessed it could. However in a second she was a little more surprised when she repeated that same motion beneath him and felt only skin despite still feeling both of his hands very definitely on her body. Magic. Of course. Just as he had done with her own clothes.

"It only seemed fair," he told her, answering her silent question when his eyes met hers once again.

"Some would say you don't deal in fair," she commented, her voice holding neither accusation nor judgment, only stating that simple fact.

"More than some don't deserve for me to," he countered. "But you, my dear, have proven yourself worthy."

"Because I wish to be yours?" she asked as she let one of her hands come up to the side of his face.

"Indeed. You wish for me how I am, not for how you wish me to be. You wish for a beast whose darkness rivals your very own, for someone you know will not fear you even when the moon is full. Your wish to be mine has ensured that is what you shall have."

"How did- ?" she asked, wondering how he could possibly know the secret only her family and Snow White knew.

Rumpelstiltskin only smiled. "I have my ways." He decided he could wait for a better time to tell her that he had known for certain since the day her granny had come to him for her famous red cloak. The very cloak they had since laid beneath together. "Now, where were we?"

Red sighed out when she felt his hand slip between her thighs and part them just a little more. He gently dragged his nails against the inside of one, causing her to sigh out again. But it was when his long fingers neared her sex that caused her eyes to finally close in anticipation.

Watching her face and taking quite an amount of pleasure at her subsequent moan as he slid one finger into her, Rumpelstiltskin found she was even more aroused than she had seemed to have let on. Because she was still so virginal? Perhaps. However he wouldn't be surprised if it was also in part because of the danger of this, of him, how it likely made her feel bolder for being in this very bed with him in such a way.

But when his middle finger joined his first and her head canted back into the pillow beneath her head, he decided that neither of them cared very much about anything else. As it was he knew he would be ready at a moment's notice for her, but he still wasn't ready to rush her. Not when it was so rare that he got to see such a look of immense pleasure on a beautiful young woman's face directly because of him. Feeling her muscles like velvet around his fingers wasn't enough, seeing her reactions in addition to that made it immensely better.

Red's body gave a single sharp shudder when he pressed his thumb to that sensitive nub just above her opening, her eyes opening then and locking onto his. He was smiling again and she bucked her hips towards his teasing, growing desperate for more contact.

Rumpelstiltskin was careful to only bring her just to the edge of her release a total of three before backing off and slowing his hand's strokes down. It wasn't until she was panting his name and begging him to take her that he finally took his hand back and decided he would do just that.

Red groaned at the loss, but readied herself as best she could for what she knew would come next. She still had no intention of taking any of this back however, so as if to give him her silent confirmation, she slowly wrapped her long legs around him, wanting to feel his body completely pressed to her own. No more space, no more waiting, just their bodies entwined as she had been envisioning since she had found herself wishing to be his.

He thrust into her leisurely at first, letting her body adjust to him and reveling for a moment in feeling her tightening around him, surrounding him.

Again Red breathed his name, her short nails digging into his shoulders and her body raising up to meet his, already desperate to feel him buried to the hilt inside her.

On any other day Rumpelstiltskin may have smirked at her impatience, or perhaps even commented on it. But in truth he had been wishing for this himself since he had first felt her slender fingers taking in the texture of his skin in that washtub. Now he was ready for his own wait to come to an end and began to move.

"Gods, yes," Red groaned as his next thrust came harder, Rumpelstiltskin already beginning to speed their pace. She could feel a flush raise all over her and she knew she was nearing something, the very something which had nearly claimed her was his hand had been stroking her. It was almost as though she were chasing something and she wanted nothing more than to reach it and to feel that promised release.

He could see that instinct or perhaps the wolf in her was beginning to take over, helping her to eagerly meet his thrusts and that time he couldn't help but groan in reply as she tightened around him once more. Only then did he even slightly begin to slow his movements, wanting to be right there with her when she reached her edge.

Sure enough, no sooner than he reached his hand between them again did her eyes close again in all the sensations running through her. A second later he felt her body tensing and saw her back arching nearly as high as it could comfortably go before her orgasm claimed her and his own immediately following at feeling her coiling rapidly around him.

For a long moment they remained just like that, Rumpelstiltskin still atop her, still inside her, Red's legs having untangled themselves from around his waist, but her knees still all but resting by his ribs as they continued to regain their breath and composure.

Their bodies still warm and even still slightly trembling as they struggled to come back down from their orgasmic heights, Red's eyes opened again and what she saw only made her smile. She brought her hand up to his cheek and pushed some of his hair back to see the whole of his face again, not even wishing to pretend anyone else had given her this day.

A little stunned, Rumpelstiltskin didn't know what to say or even entirely what to do. It had been so long since a woman had given herself to him so completely, and still been smiling afterwards, that he let her gently pull him down into another kiss, this one softer than the last but somehow seeming even more impassioned despite its tenderness.

When their kiss ended a moment later and Red opened her eyes once more she found they were no longer in her bed, nor even her granny's cottage. Instead they seemed to be in a bedchamber she had never seen before. And it looked to be one so large it could only be inside of a castle. The bed, she realized, was also considerably larger than her own and she soon found golden sheets had replaced her blue and white bedding.

"You wished to come to my home," he reminded her as he slowly moved to her side.

It was his bedchamber, of course. "I did," she replied, turning to face him. Red smiled softly again as she snuggled close to him, enjoying the feel of him bringing the covers up over their still calming bodies.

"Are you still pleased with your wish?" He almost feared her answer as he was really not used to this sort of situation. She was a beautiful girl who he knew could have her choice of woodsmen or huntsmen, possibly even a few princes, and yet she had, even for a moment, chosen him. True she had seemed to enjoy their coupling, but now that the arousal had worn off, he wondered if her wish to remain with him had as well.

"You've proven yourself to be a man of your word. We're here, as you promised, and I'm still beside you just as I was that first day, and happily not for the same reason. Yes, Rumpelstiltskin, I am pleased with my wish."

Once again Rumpelstiltskin found himself at a loss for words. And again that surprised him, as he often wasn't met with such an issue. He guessed there was much about this girl that would continue to surprise him despite his many gifts and talents.

Just as Red had hoped, that day ended for them just as their first together had begun. With them, together, their nude forms lying pressed to one another's in a warm bed and entwined in each other's arms even as sleep began to claim them. Perhaps it was their shared darkness that had made her wish to remain with him, but she wouldn't question it.

Instead Red decided she had indeed been granted her wish; that she now knew what it would be like to have a being such as him as her own. And the idea of this being what it would continue to be like made her happier than few other thoughts ever had.

The End


End file.
